


That One Time Zuko Let Sokka Stalk Him

by Just_Call_Me_DJ



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ba Sing Se, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Dork Zuko, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Episode: s02e18 The Earth King, Episode: s02e19 The Guru, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, My First Fanfic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sokka stays in Ba Sing Se instead of Katara, Tea boy Sokka, These kids swear a lot, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, tea Boy zuko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24208411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Call_Me_DJ/pseuds/Just_Call_Me_DJ
Summary: Sokka thought the day was going to be good... until he got to the tea shop and saw a certain Fire Nation prince. In a desperate act to not be thrown in jail for the rest of his life, Zuko tells the Water Tribe boy that he can follow him around to prove that he doesn’t want the Avatar anymore.What follows is a string of events that form an unlikely bond between the two boys.
Relationships: Sokka/Suki mentioned but not focused on, Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 102
Kudos: 1107





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god where do I start?
> 
> Uh, hi! This is my first proper fanfic so I really don’t know what I’m doing. The last time I wrote a serious fanfic was when I was like... 10? And it was honestly awful and I can’t believe people read it. This chapter isn’t beta read and I’m not sure if I will have a beta for any of the chapters but we’ll see. I’ve also never posted on this site before so I don’t know if I’m doing any of this right. Oh well I guess.
> 
> This fic is less of a cohesive story line and more of a collection of events, just all a giant “what if?” scenario. I just wanted to have fun and this was the result. I’ll be updating the tags as the story progresses so keep an eye out for that as I do have a chapter planned that could be triggering.
> 
> This was partially inspired by The Shame Basement by All_About_That_Ace

Sokka _thought_ today was going to be the day he saw Suki. Sokka _thought_ that after the meeting, they'd go on a date. Sokka _thought_ today was going to be perfect.

And then Suki wasn't there.

And now, well this day just can't get worse.

  
  
  


  
"What do you think you're doing here?" Sokka held the bastard up against the wall.

"Let me go! Please, I haven't done anything here!" Zuko tried to shake off Sokka's grip off his arms but it was as tight as iron.

Was it just Sokka, or did it seem like Zuko lost a lot of weight? He never got all too near the guy, for obvious fire-related reasons, but he could have sworn this guy had more muscle before. 

Well whatever, it made it easier for Sokka to keep the hot head's arms behind his back and face shoved against the wall.

"Oh _riiiight,_ I'm sure you haven't done anything _yet._ " Sokka hissed, pushing him harder into the wall "How the fuck did you get into Ba Sing Se? What's your game?"

Zuko grunted, "I told you! I haven't done anything and I'm not going to do anything!"

The Fire Prince tried to find some sort of opening, anything, but he had his hands tied behind his back. Literally.

Sokka scowled. Why would Zuko even try to lie? He's followed them all over the world to hunt down Aang, now he was somehow in the Impenetrable City of the Earth Kingdom to probably kill the Earth King and take the throne or something.

"You've done nothing? You're not doing anything? Do you think I'm going to believe that after everything you put us through?" Sokka gritted his teeth.

Zuko's struggle paused. How _was_ he going to believe that he wasn't planning anything? Just a week ago, he was going to use the Avatar's sky bison to capture him. 

"I…"

"Oh save your breath," Sokka cut him off, "I'm taking you to the King so we can send you back to where you belong."

Zuko's eyes widened. He was just getting used to working at his uncle's tea shop. He had a nice home, a stable job and family to be there for him. He was about to lose it all.

Sokka began to pull Zuko off of the sidewall of the tea shop, making sure he held onto the other boy firmly.

"Wait, no please!" Zuko was surprised at his own words coming out of his mouth.

"What? Are you going to give me some sob stories about how you've changed and that you're a better person now?" Sokka couldn't believe the jerk would even try to defend himself. He knows all the things he's done to them.

A sigh fell out of Zuko's mouth, "Look, I know I've been awful to you and your friends-"

"Yeah, I'll say."

"- But I'm done. I don't want to chase you guys around anymore to try to restore my honor from my father. I'm tired. I just want to live here with my uncle as peacefully as possible."

His father? What did he have to do with any of this?

"How am I supposed to believe you?" Sokka pinned him back on the wall. 

_Live as peacefully as possible._ Yeah. Sure.

The Fire Prince's mind raced. What does he have that could show he was done with the Avatar? Does he even have any evidence?

_Just say something, anything._

"You could… come to the tea shop every day and watch over me?" Would that be enough? From Sokka's grip that wasn't loosening, Zuko guessed it wasn't.

"Uh, and you can escort me to and from the shop, or even watch me on my days off if I have any." Too much. Way too much. 

Zuko was giving up all his free time on the slim chance that _maybe_ after a week or two, the water Tribe peasant would believe him.

This was probably some sort of trick Zuko wanted to pull. But why would he willingly let someone know where he lives and spends his free time?

After a moment, Sokka groaned, "Alright, fine. Every day I'm going to come to your house, walk you to your little tea shop, watch you work, and then take you home. You can do whatever you want on your days off, but I'm going to be with you, got it?" 

Zuko swallowed, "Yeah, got it."

"Good," Sokka finally began to loosen his grip, "then I guess we start tonight."

The water Tribe boy let go of Zuko with a shove. The older teen rubbed his hands on his arms where they were gripped for what felt like forever.

  
  


What has Zuko just gotten himself into?

-

Sokka had a lot of strange moments in his life, but nothing was as weird as this day.

The day started off differently than usual. Seeing Katara and Aang rode off together, not knowing when they’d be back after just finding Appa. Toph went to go see her mom, so she should have been back later that day. And then there were the Kyoshi warriors, or at least that’s who Sokka thought he would be seeing.

That was Sokka’s first red flag of the day. Sokka greeted the warriors when they got off the train but something was off. Well, the main thing was that Suki wasn’t there which was a _huge_ disappointment, but also the fact that there were only three of the warriors.

“Where are the others? And where’s Suki?” Sokka asked.

“Suki?” One of the warriors with a high pitched voice said. She had a… braid? Sokka could have sworn they all had the same haircut, except Suki since she was the leader.

Actually, all three of them had different haircuts. Sokka felt a creeping suspicion run through his head. _These girls aren’t who they say they are._

“Oh, her and the others went back to the island after we found your bison like you asked, “ one of the girls, with a sharp voice that sounded strangely familiar, said. Sokka didn’t recognize it as one of the warriors' voices, but he knew he heard it somewhere before.

_Maybe she was one of the pirates? No, no she’s too young._

“We sent it towards the city. Did it find its way back to you?” She raised one eyebrow which, franckly, creeped Sokka out.

And why would the warriors head back to Kyoshi? Weren’t they helping with the refugees? Unless…

These girls didn’t know about the refugees. They were probably Fire Nation or something.

Sokka didn’t want to cause a panic, but he knew something had to be done. He had to make up some sort of cover.

“Uh- he’s not in the city right now but thanks for helping like we asked you to!” Sokka laughed. That had to be what these girls thought the real warriors were doing, out looking for Appa. He would just have to play along with that idea. 

“But of course. Anything for the Avatar and his friends.” The girl with the sharp voice said, “Speaking of which, where is the Avatar?”

_Shit._

“He- Uh- he left a while ago. He was heading towards the lower ring, I think.” That wasn’t a total lie. Aang had to head towards the lower ring before leaving. Maybe these weird girls would head into the city so that Sokka could warn the king.

“Oh that’s a shame, we were really hoping to see him.” She sighed. “No matter, we would like to have a word with the king.”

_SHIT._

“Wait! The king really doesn’t let people in unless they have an appointment so you’re _probably_ going to have to wait for a while.” Sokka smiled. 

Was that convincing? He didn’t lie, the king was busy and they did need an appointment to see him when him and the others tried to see him.

The “warrior” sighed, “Alright, but do you think you could put a word in for us? If he knows we’re with the Avatar, maybe he’ll let us talk to him faster.” Her voice softened a little, but it was still off.

“Uh- yeah, sure! Yup, will do!” Sokka held a thumbs up. “In fact, I’ll go tell him right now!”

A smile curled onto the girl’s lip, “Wonderful.”

“Well, I’m off! Uh- see you later!” Sokka began to walk off. Once he knew he was out of their sight, he bolted as fast as his legs could take him.

These girls were bad news.

  
  
  
  


“Are you sure they’re Fire Nation?” The King looked pale. Poor guy got hit with a lot of life changing stuff all in a row and now the Fire Nation is right at his doorstep.

“I think so.” Sokka said.

The king sighed as he rubbed the neck fluff of his bear. “Well, they haven’t done anything yet, I don’t feel right just locking them up.” He paused. The king straightened his back in his chair, “I’ll have a group of my men escort them out of the city.”

“Thank you for letting me know before anything happened. I’ll leave you a small reward in your home as a thank you. I believe you have a meeting coming up soon, you should head there before you’re late.” The King held a tired smile on his face.

“Oh! Right! The meeting, I almost forgot about that!” Sokka bowed to the king before running off to the Council’s War Room.

  
  
  
  


The door softly squeaked as it opened. When Sokka walked in, he noticed a lone, relatively fancy, large satchel on the table.

“A bag? That’s my reward for saving the kingdom?” Sokka mumbled.

He picked up the small note that lay next to the sack.

_Dear Sokka,_

_Thank you for your bravery and quick action. Without you, who knows what would have happened. As thanks, please accept this small reward. Use it however you please._

_Signed, The Earth King_

_(P.S. Don’t be afraid to keep the reward all to yourself.)_

Sokka went to pick up the satchel. Like he was going to let people rent his ba-

_Why was it so heavy?_

Sokka unhooked the large pouch to find… a _lot_ of gold. The whole pouch was filled to the top with nothing but gold pieces. He couldn’t help but gawk at the sight.

Maybe he should try saving the King more often.

Sokka slung the very heavy bag on his shoulder. He didn’t have Suki, but he knew one thing that could cheer him up.

Shopping.

  
  
  


Who knew how happy buying a bunch of stuff you don’t need can make a guy happy? Sokka had to hire a small carriage just to bring everything home. It was mostly clothes and a few weapons but he sure wasn’t going to carry any of it. The only thing he couldn't carry was that new bed he was so excited to sleep on.

The moon was already out by the time Sokka decided to head home. He had one last stop in mind before he could turn in for the night.

All-day he had been hearing about this crazy good new tea shop, “The Jasmine Dragon”. It had been a while since the Water Tribe boy had a good cup of tea.

Right as Sokka walked up to the shop, he saw someone pulling the doors closed.

“Fuck, I was too slow,” Sokka mumbled.

He began to turn until he heard mumbling from the worker who had just stepped out of the shop.

The person sounded familiar in a way. _One of the refugees?_

Sokka turned back around to see the worker fumbling with a key ring.

“Gah, why does Uncle have so many keys? How much locked stuff does he have?” The worker said under his breath.

Sokka’s stomach dropped. _That wasn’t a refugee._

The other boy finally found the key he was looking for and locked the doors. He began to turn but suddenly felt a hand on his mouth.

Next thing he knows, he’s pinned face-first into the side wall of the tea shop, his arms being firmly gripped behind his back and head held against the wall.

“Zuko, “ a familiar voice said. 

_The Water Tribe peasant,_ Zuko’s eyes widened.

“What do you think you’re doing here?”

-

Now this. This was weird. Walking behind the Fire Nation’s prince, who had been chasing them down for months, in the Earth Kingdom capital to his apartment he had in the city. All while that prince was wearing some dorky work uniform.

The apartment was nice enough. Only a few blocks away from the tea shop (which Zuko told it belonged to his uncle, one of the _very_ few things he said. Though how a person from the Fire Nation got their hands on a tea shop of all things, Sokka probably wouldn’t know). Zuko lived on the top floor, which means stairs.

He had to climb up three flights of stairs. Everyday. Great.

When they got to his door, Sokka watched Zuko fumble around with his keys until he found the right one.

Inside was a very spacious living room and kitchen. To the right was a hallway, probably leading to the bedrooms, Sokka assumed.

"Uncle!" Zuko called out as he let Sokka in and closed the door behind them. "I'm home! We have… a guest." The Fire Nation boy sighed.

"Oh, is that what took you so long? Have you brought home someone special?" A burly voice called out from the hallway.

"You could say that, I suppose," Zuko said as he took off the top layer of his uniform and hung it on a hook on the wall.

"Hey, I'm pretty special!" Sokka protested. He was the sarcastic guy _and_ the boomerang guy _and_ he saved the Kingdom today, that was something worth recognition.

A large man wearing casual robes came out into the main room. His eyes briefly widened at the sight of Sokka.

"Ah, you're one of the Avatar's friends, yes?" The old man smiled as if seeing an old friend. "Though I'm surprised you did not call the guards on us. What brings you to our home?" He opened his arms widely, gesturing to his living room.

How could this man be so friendly to his enemy? Then again, this man- Iroh, was it?- never harmed Aang or any of them, really.

"Oh- um-" Sokka stuttered, "well, I found Zuko and told him I wanted to take him to the Earth king but then he said he didn't want to go and-" Sokka got cut off.

"The Water Tribe boy is going to be watching over me for a while to make sure I'm not up to anything. In exchange, he won't turn us into the King." Zuko said in a surprisingly calm attitude.

Sokka pouted, "I was getting to that."

"I'm going to go change." Zuko walked out of the living room and into the hallway. A sliding noise echoed before a click.

Iroh sighed, then smiled, turning his attention to Sokka, "Are you staying with us for the next few nights? I don't think I have an extra mattress but I can offer you mine."

Stay the night? Sokka wanted to keep an eye on these guys but not 24/7. Though it would be smart to do that. But, no, he just got that new bed that he was waiting all day to try out.

"No, I'm not, keep your mattress." Sokka waved his hand defensively. "I'm just going to come by in the mornings, hang out with you guys in your tea shop, walk him home, and I’ll be on my way." 

"Ah, alright, " There was that warm smile again, "well, I'll buy an extra mat next time I'm shopping just in case."

The sliding noise echoed again. Zuko, now in what Sokka assumed were his pajamas, came out and sat at the table. He was wearing a short-sleeved tunic and shorts, exposing his arms and legs. Sokka got a good look at his limbs. They were covered in small, pale scars but also some red-ish marks like the scar on his face. Burn scars, maybe from training. 

_He's definitely a lot skinnier._

Sokka cleared his throat, "Well, I guess I'm going to go. What time should I be here tomorrow?"

"We usually leave at around eight in the morning." Zuko said in an almost chirpy tone.

"Ugh, that's so early." Sokka furrowed his brow.

Zuko shrugged his shoulders, "We rise with the sun, guess you'll have to as well."

_Bitch._

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow at eight, then." Sokka said as he turned to leave.

"Good night." Zuko said.

"Stay safe!" Iroh called out in a happy tone.

These next few weeks were going to be weird.

Sokka closed the apartment door behind him and started making his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah! I’m going to try my best to post weekly but no promises. I’m horrible at keeping schedules but if enough people like the story I’ll try to keep it up.
> 
> (Also sorry if at any point there was present tense instead of past tense. This started as present tense but I Cannot Write Like That.)


	2. Chapter 2

Toph never came home. Sokka figured she was just spending the night with her mom or something. 

It was strange being the only one in the house, in a good way. No Toph snoring in his ear, no Aang kicking him awake, just peace and quiet. Lots and lots of quiet. 

_Too quiet._

-

Sokka woke up early and started to get ready. 

Before leaving, he tucked his boomerang into its pouch and slung it on his back. Just in case he needed it.

  
  
  
  
  


The walk to the shop felt just as awkward as the night before, only now Iroh was there to talk on and on about all the different kinds of teas that they had and how he was going to import some and whatever else an old man talked about. Sokka didn't care about tea. He had a mission.

Zuko didn't say much, only talking to his uncle if he did. Sokka figured he’d be more talkative, seeing as he was always yelling when he did see the guy. 

Something about him did seem… off. Well, aside from having a full head of hair instead of that stupid ponytail. He seemed happier? And _yeah_ , Sokka never saw much of him before, and when he did he was attacking, but he looked so tense at every moment. Now he looked more at ease.

  
  
  
  
  


“Would you like anything?” Zuko asked in a peppy tone. 

_Something was definitely off with him._

“Uh- no I’m good,” Sokka said as he sat down at the table in the back corner.

“Alright. Call me over if you change your mind.” Zuko walked off to another table and started taking the customer's order.

_Zuko being nice?_ That didn’t sound right at all. Maybe he’s just in work mode? Sokka figured that’s why.

He watched Zuko greet patrons with a smile not unlike his uncle’s and take their order. It was so odd seeing the other teen act like that. Sokka knew him as the angry fire boy who was out to kill him and his friends. He wouldn’t believe that that was the same guy seeing how he’s acting now. He forced a laugh at the customers jokes, said hello to regulars, and even smiled _a lot._

Sokka shook his head. Today was going to be a long day, he might as well treat himself.

“Lee!” Sokka called out the fake name Zuko told him to use, “Can I get a menu?”

‘Lee’ smiled at Sokka, “Be right with you, sir.”

_That was weird. That was very very very weird._

  
  
  
  
  


“Does it usually take you _this_ long to clean?” Sokka groaned as he leaned on the counter.

Zuko snickered, “You’d be surprised how messy rich people are.”

He walked behind the counter and scrubbed the last few dishes in the sink.

After a moment, the Fire Nation boy dried off his hands, “All done for tonight.”

Sokka sighed in relief. Today had to be one of the most uneventfully weird days of his life. Now, all he had to do was walk the jerk home and he could do whatever he wanted.

After locking the doors, the boys made their way to Zuko’s apartment.

The silence was killing Sokka. He had to go a whole day without talking, and now even the streets were quiet.

_Okay. Just say the first thing that comes to mind..._

“You look like a dork,” Sokka said. It was true, Zuko did in fact look like a huge dork wearing clothes that looked a size too big for him.

“Excuse me?” Zuko looked at him confused.

“Yeah, with your hair,” which Sokka proceeded to ruffle, “and your uniform. You look like a normal, dorky teenager for once.”

Zuko pushed the other boy's hand off his head and rolled his eyes.

Sokka pouted. That was hardly the reaction he thought he’d get.

“You’ve been acting so strange. I'm so used to you just being a big jerk with your jerk bending and all that." Sokka said. “I mean, not that I don’t mind not being chased around and getting yelled at,” he shook his head, “It’s just so, I don’t know, bizarre.”

Zuko looked down for a moment, then sighed, “I told you, I just want to live as peacefully as possible. I’m done with trying to be the person my father wants me to be.”

_His father again. Why did he bring him up so often?_

“Alright, whatever you say Tea boy.” Sokka shrugged. 

The Fire Nation boy grunted, “Don’t call me that.” He said with irritation hinting in his voice.

Sokka smirked. He got him. “Nah, I like it. Suits you well.” He nudged the boy's arm with his elbow.

Zuko shot the water tribe boy with a side-eye, which Sokka couldn’t help but chuckle at a little.

“Uh oh, someone’s getting mad,” Sokka said, poking Zuko in the arm.

“You make it hard to be nice to you, don’t you?” Zuko huffed, smacking the other boy’s hand away.

“Yeah I get that a lot.” The water tribe boy said sarcastically as he shrugged.

-

Sokka tilted back in the chair, staring up at the shop’s ceiling. He knew he had to watch Zuko, but dear spirits, it was soooooo boring.

“You know,” Iroh- or Mushi as Zuko said to call him- came up to Sokka’s lonely table, “if you would like something to do, I could offer you a job. Just sit behind the counter and take the customer's payments. That way you can still keep an eye on my nephew while also keeping busy. I’ll even pay you for your troubles.” He let out a hearty chuckle.

Sokka _was_ extremely bored just watching the Tea boy, well, serve tea. And a little extra coin never hurt anyone.

Sokka sighed, “Yeah, sure, alright. Beats just sitting here.”

Iroh- Mushi smiled, “Wonderful. I’ll go fetch you a uniform.”

The old man shuffled into the back and after a moment, came out with an outfit like all the other workers are wearing.

  
  
  
  
  


“Who’s the dork now?” Zuko said as he swept the floor of the empty shop.

Sokka furrowed his brow, his back turned away from the other boy, “Not. Another. Word.”

Empty cups and plates clinked on the tray as Sokka carried them to the sink. Carefully, he scrubbed them with a nearby damp rag and cleaning ash.

“Hey, you said it first.” Zuko raised his hands in defense then continued to sweep.

Sokka rolled his eyes, “Whatever, I look better in these clothes than you do, Tea boy. At least they look like they fit me.”

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Zuko barked.

“And I told you that it suits you, plus I can’t call you ponytail guy anymore, so Tea boy it is.” Sokka placed the last dish down, finally turning to face the Fire Nation boy, who was scowling directly at him.

It was the first time Sokka actually gave a good look at him in the face. Sure, he wasn't the most sensitive guy, but he never wanted to stare at Zuko in fear that he’d get burned for looking at his scar for too long. But now, he couldn’t help but look.

His eyes were piercingly golden, almost like a sunset. His hair was desperately overdue for a cut (maybe he’s growing it out?), it was dark and reached a little past his eyebrow. Red skin where an eyebrow would be wrinkled with his glare. That scar was huge and nasty, reaching past his ear. Sokka silently wondered what happened to him for the first time. He remembered the other burn marks the boy had on him, probably a big fire bending accident or something.

Sokka smirked. He walked around the counter and past Zuko, rag still in hand to wipe down the tables. As he passed him, he ruffled the older teen’s hair with his free hand.

“Looks better than that hideous ponytail.” Sokka teased.

Zuko fixed his hair as he looked at Sokka with annoyance, “Uh, thanks?” There was an odd skepticism in his voice.

The two teens finally finished cleaning up and started heading back to Zuko’s home. 

The night seemed a lot less quiet, though the streets were still as empty as ever.

-

Sokka clicked the door behind him as he hung his bag. Day three of stalking Zuko was done and over with.

“Where have you been all day?” A high pitched voice from the hallway called.

Sokka rushed to find the voice and sure enough, Toph was lounging on her bed. She looked tired, her hair more messy than usual and she had big bags under her eyes.

“Where have _I_ been? Where have _you_ been? You look awful!” Sokka gestured at the girl, despite knowing she can’t see him doing so.

Though he didn't want to admit it, Sokka hadn't thought about where Toph had been. He started to wonder but didn't give it much thought past that.

“Gee, thanks,” she said in a deadpan tone, “I was kidnapped by two wackos my parents hired. That letter was just a trick.”

Sokka’s jaw dropped, no wonder she was gone for so long. “How did you escape?”

The blind girl grinned, “I invented metal bending.” She pointed to her chest with her thumb proudly.

“Metal bending?” Sokka half screamed, “That’s so cool! How is that even possible?”

“Eh, when you get to be as badass as me, anything is possible.” 

She pointed at Sokka, “Now where have you been, Snoozles?”

“That’s a bit of a story, nothing like yours though,“ Sokka took off the top layer of his uniform before sitting down at the end of Toph’s mattress.

“It started the day you left…”

  
  
  
  
  


“So let me get this straight,” Toph said, “You have to babysit the fucking Fire Prince and you’re basically getting paid for it?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Damn. I wish I had that job.”

A silence fell over the two. Sokka felt his skin start to crawl under the long sleeves of his robe. The boy yawned and stretched.

“Well I guess that’s my cue to go to bed. I have to wake up early tomorrow so don’t be surprised if I’m gone.” Sokka stood up, tunic in hand.

“Have fun babysitting.” Toph giggled, laying down with her clothes still on. 

_Probably too tired to take them off,_ Sokka assumed. She looked really beat up from the day.

“No promises,” he stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him and then walked into his room.

After changing into some newly purchased sleepwear, Sokka nestled into bed. 

He was glad Toph was the first one to come back. Katara would have probably killed Zuko if she found out he was in the city. Aang would probably go into the Avatar state and do who knows what. 

He shuddered at the thought of both of those ideas. 

_But why did he care what happened to the Tea boy? He’s the enemy._ It’d only be saving him the trouble of keeping an eye on him if something bad did happen.

Sokka rolled onto his side under his sheets.

The room had been so silent for the past few days. Sokka didn’t notice how much he missed the sound of someone’s sleeping breath until now. He’d always shared a room with someone: Katara back at home, both her and Aang for the past few months and seeing Toph’s Earth tents when they were camping brought him comfort on the nights he couldn’t sleep. He was even sharing the room with Aang before he left.

Toph was just in the other room, but Sokka still felt painfully lonely. It was strange not having anyone sleeping in the same room for once.

Sokka forced his eyes shut. Maybe he should have taken up that offer to spend his nights at Zuko’s.

-

“Are customers usually so… flirty?” Sokka placed a jar of tea leaves in the cabinet above him, “I mean, I know I’m great but these rich girls aren’t exactly my type. Though I will admit, they are pretty.” He set another jar in before closing the door with a soft thud.

“Hey, you’re lucky you have the safety of that counter to stand behind. Those girls always grab my ass when they’re near me.” Zuko carried a tray of dirty plates to the sink and began to scrub them.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Sokka tried, _mostly failed_ , but tried to suppress a laugh, “No- you’re joking, right?” He leaned his lower back on the counter behind him, looking at Zuko’s scared left profile.

The older teen let out an awkward laugh, “Oh dear Agni, I wish I was.” He shook his head. 

He couldn’t hold it back anymore.

Sokka burst out into a cackle.

And he kept laughing and laughing. Spirits, he couldn’t stop laughing. 

He could just barely make out the sound of Zuko laughing along over his own.

The image of Zuko, the fucking _prince_ of the Fire Nation, the guy that had a stupidly awful ponytail just a few months ago, getting his ass _grabbed_ by some upper class, snobby Earth Kingdom girls would not leave his mind. 

Sokka took a few breaths to calm down.

...But then he caught a glance of Zuko and the scene played all over again and went into another laughing fit. 

_Zuko got his ass grabbed by a girl! Multiple girls, in fact!_ What he wouldn’t have paid to have seen the first time it happened.

“OH- Oh spirits- I can’t- breath-“ Sokka said between laughs. He was practically on the floor, clutching to his stomach. The world was spinning around him as he gasped for air as he continued to laugh.

“Here, here, settle down,” Zuko held out a cup of clean water to him that he didn’t notice he poured. Sokka reached out to grab it and took a few breaths before chugging the whole cup. Lukewarm water ran down his throat, some beads trickling out and rolled down his cheek.

He took the empty cup from his mouth and took in a few short breaths.

“Wooooooo man! I haven’t had that good of a laugh in forever.” Sokka put a hand on the countertop and pulled himself up.

Zuko took the cup from him and put it in the dirty pile, “Alright, you’ve had your fun, now go finish cleaning so we can go home already.”

“Aye aye cap'n,” Sokka saluted while giggling. _Wait, no, fuck something funnier._ “Uh, I mean, “ The water tribe boy made an exaggerated bow, lifting one arm in the air behind him while pulling the other in front of himself and leaned onto it, “Whatever you desire, your majesty.”

Sokka looked up, only to be greeted with a straight-faced look from the other boy. He placed the rag on the ledge of the sink and flicked his finger at Sokka.

_Shit._ Sokka shut his eyes tight. 

“Ah-!” A mix of water who knows what spritzed on his face. As he stood, he used his sleeve to wipe off the nasty liquid off his face. 

“Bitch.” Sokka opened his eyes to glare at Zuko who had a smirk across his face, seemingly satisfied with his work.

-

Sokka decided to stop bringing his boomerang.

It was uncomfortable to carry it around under his robes. That was the only reason he stopped bringing it. Yeah. He still didn’t trust Zuko.

-

Zuko hadn’t mentioned anything about Aang for the whole week. He didn’t even bring up anything about chasing them down for so many months. Well, neither did Sokka but it was still weird not talking about it.

The only thing about the past Zuko remotely mentioned was occasional comments about his father and even those were few and far between.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“You know, you two have been working so hard for this past week,” Iroh had pulled Zuko and Sokka into the back room during their lunch break, “Why don’t you take the night off? I’ll worry about cleaning up tonight.” He had that big smile that Sokka weirdly started to take comfort in. It sort of reminded him of his dad’s smile, gentle and wise but you could tell that something was hidden behind it.

“You sure Uncle? I can handle working.” Zuko said.

Iroh patted him on the shoulder, “You have your whole lives to work. Go be young while you can.” 

_Why would Zuko worry about not being young? Wasn’t he royalty before coming here? He shouldn’t have had a care in the world._

“Yeah, come on! Live life a little, Tea boy!” Sokka threw his arm around the Jerk Bender and pulled him down below his chin to ruffle his hair.

Zuko immediately jerked Sokka’s arm off and pushed him to the side.

“Ow, hey!” Sokka mumbled, rubbing his arm.

_Guess skinny guy is still strong._

“Stop calling me that.” He gritted through his teeth.

Iroh clapped his hands together and smiled, “You see? You are so full of energy and spirit. Have some fun for once tonight, nephew.” 

_Fun for once? Did Zuko not like to have fun?_

After a moment, Zuko grunted defeatedly, “Fine. Thank you, Uncle.” 

_Finally, a break from being in the shop._

Sokka jumped in the air, “Alright! Boys night out tonight!”

  
  
  
  
  


The sun was just barely about to set as the boys walked through the streets of the upper ring.

“You sure you want to take me to your house?” Zuko asked, “It’s not exactly smart to let someone you don’t trust know where you live.”

Of course, Sokka knew that already. But it’s not like he could trust Zuko to be alone. And he really really wanted to get out of his stuffy uniform so he was pretty limited in his options.

“Hey, I figure you’re smart enough to not cause a big scene. I doubt you trust me but you let me into your house the first day, so who’s the not smart one now, Tea boy?” Sokka smirked.

Zuko made an exasperated grunt and shook his head. Oh, he knew Sokka was right. He just didn’t want to admit it, didn’t he?

“Aw chin up,” Sokka patted the older boy on the back, “we can both be untrustworthy idiots, I don’t mind barring the weight of that title with you. For your sake, of course.”

Zuko bumped Sokka’s arm off with his shoulder and shot him a side-eye he was all too familiar with at this point. Sokka lopsidedly smiled. That glare was getting to be endearing, in a weird way.

As they got near Sokka’s house, he realized he forgot something. Some _one_ important.

“Oh, did I mention that one of my friends is home?” Sokka said as they walked up the stairs.

Zuko froze, “What?! I thought you said this was _your_ house!”

Sokka waved his hand forward, “Well, yeah _and_ it’s their house. Don't worry though, Toph won’t try to kill you or anything. You’re both from rich families, I’m sure you’ll get along fine.”

Zuko gave a reluctant look as he slowly walked up the steps to Sokka’s side.

The water tribe boy opened the door and let both of them in. “Toph! We got done with work early!” He shouted, closing the door.

“Oh, did you bring home Mr. Sparky himself?” The blind earth bender stepped out to the living area from the hall and leaned against the wall.

Zuko raised his eyebrow. “Mr. Sparky?”

“Indeed I did,” Sokka stood in between the two, “Toph, this is Zuko. Zuko, Toph.”

Toph nodded her head, “Yo.”

“Uh- hello.” The way he said it made it sound like he was talking to a long lost relative or something. Someone you maybe vaguely know but not really enough to know how to address them but somehow they know you so you just try and go along with it. 

It was awkward as all fuck and hard to watch.

Sokka clapped his hands together, “Right, so, we are going to do a little boy’s night out. We’ll only be here for a bit.” He motioned his hand for Zuko to follow him in his room.

The two walked in and the younger boy went straight to his closet.

_Should he wear his regular water tribe clothes? Nah, they needed a clean._

After scanning for a moment, he settled on a dark green tunic and trousers that were lightly embroidered and a matching robe.

He turned to Zuko who was standing in the doorway, fidgeting with his hands.

“You can pick something out if you want,” Sokka pointed to his wardrobe, “Don’t want you looking like a total dork. That hair can’t be helped though.” He vaguely pointed at the older teen.

Zuko sighed and walked over to peer into the closet. His eyes widened, “Oh, you have a lot of clothes. When did you have the time to buy all of this?” He pulled a tunic out and examined it, then put it back.

Sokka shrugged, “Same day that I first saw you at the shop. The tea place was my last stop of the day after a shopping spree.” He snickered, “That had to have been one of the weirdest fucking days of my life.”

He watched as Zuko examined his clothes one by one, being very careful when taking them out and putting them back.

“I’m going to go change in the bathroom. You can get ready here, I guess.” Sokka walked out of his room, closing the door behind him, and into the bathroom.

He quickly took off his work tunic and trousers and replaced them with the clothes from his closet.

The boy caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. The clothes looked pretty good on him, like most other clothes do, obviously. Sokka fixed his hair a little before stepping out of the bathroom and knocking at his door.

“Hey, you done in there?” He called.

“Uh- almost. You can come in.” Zuko called back.

Sokka walked in and saw Zuko in a light brown robe that reached the floor. He picked up a darker brown tunic and put it on over his robe. The tunic was embroidered with cream-colored lines on the seams and a floral-like design on the corners.

Sokka huffed, “Well, you still look kind of dorky but not as bad.”

Zuko folded his work clothes and set them on Sokka’s bed, “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

The younger boy shrugged, “Take it however you want. Are you ready now?”

Zuko nodded.

The two left Sokka’s room. The water tribe boy said bye to Toph and then the boys left for the evening.

  
  
  
  
  


“Why the fuck would you use a second fishing hook?” Zuko asked, fiddling with his chopsticks.

“I thought it would be easier to pull out the first one, okay?” Sokka crossed his arms.

“I guess you were always dense.” The Fire Nation prince shook his head and placed a piece of meat in his mouth.

“Hey, I’m not the only one who was a dumb kid. What kind of stupid stuff did you do?” The water tribe boy asked.

Zuko blinked, “Well, there wasn’t much I could do in the first place,” he tapped his chopsticks on the side of his bowl, “I guess there was this one time I pushed a girl I knew into a fountain.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow, “Why? Just because?”

“Well, she had an apple on her head and my sister lit it on fire so I jumped at her and we both went into the fountain,” Zuko’s face turned a light shade of pink. He looked down at his bowl, playing with the food, “and I landed right on top of her.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow and smirked, “Getting a little red there, Tea boy,” he put his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands, “Did you have a thing for her or something?”

The older boy’s face completely flushed with red, “W-what? No, she was one of my sister’s friends, I barely knew her!”

“Aww come on, Lee. It’s okay, I won’t tell anybody. It’ll be our little secret of how you saved your childhood friend, who you secretly had a crush on, from being burned alive and then confessed your feelings to each other before sharing a kiss.” The water tribe boy cooed and kissed the air.

Zuko’s grip around his chopsticks tightened, “I told you, I didn’t like her like that! She was barely a friend to me and-“ he froze as he pursed his lips. The Fire nation boy loosened his hold, took a deep breath, and relaxed his shoulders, “You know what? Nevermind, I don’t have to explain myself to you.” His voice became quieter but still had a harsh tone to it.

Sokka leaned back in his chair, “Hey, relax. I was just teasing. You don’t have to get so defensive about it.” He put a few pieces of meat into his mouth.

Zuko pushed around the food in his bowl, avoiding looking at the water tribe boy. 

It was strange to see him just shut down like that. He was expecting to get a lengthy speech or something. Sokka might have hit that nerve a bit too hard. He needed some way to lighten the mood.

“Wanna hear about the time my dad and his friend convinced my Gran Gran that they were a water spirit?”

Zuko looked up and lifted his eyebrow.

Sokka smirked, “It started with an octopus on my dad’s head…”

  
  
  
  
  


Sokka thought Zuko was just a moody teenager with anger problems who wanted to capture the Avatar for some evil reason. Sokka now realized that Zuko is just a moody teenager who is trying to work on his anger problems but gets defensive when you tease him about girls and, surprisingly, when someone butchers theater plays.

“It could have been so much better if they didn’t cut out the scene!”

“The casting choice was awful! They barely knew their lines and the main character should have played the antagonist.”

“The special effects guy passed out mid-play! They had to take an intermission right after having one.”

Sokka laughed, “Holy fuck, you not only look like a dork, but you _are_ a dork!” He patted Zuko on the shoulder as they walked up the stairs to his apartment.

The Fire Nation boy huffed, “Fuck you.”

Sokka’s lips curled. He ruffled the older boy’s hair as he sprinted up the stairs, “Bet I can beat you!”

“Wh- hey! No fair!” By the time Sokka heard Zuko, he was already up the next flight of stairs.

He skidded around the corner and pulled himself up to the stairs with the railing. He could make out Zuko’s footsteps growing closer and closer. The water tribe boy picked up the pace as much as he could until he felt a warm hand push down on his head as the Fire nation boy passed him. Sokka creased his brow as he tried to keep up his pace but damn was Zuko fast. Just as the two began to reach the top, Zuko jumped up the last few stairs and into the hallway, Sokka close behind him. The two sprinted down the hall, Zuko still in the lead as they reached the door.

“I win.” Zuko panted as he touched the door. He took heavy breaths as he sat down next to the door.

“I let you win,” Sokka’s back slid down the wall and sat next to Zuko. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was even more out of breath than the Fire Nation boy.

Zuko rolled his eyes as he tried to catch his breath, “Fuck, I’m really out of shape.” He leaned his head against the wall behind him.

They sat there for a moment, trying to breathe.

Sokka felt a heat rising then cooling next to him. He turned to look at what it was. It matched Zuko’s breath, in for more heat, out for less.

“Woah, cool. How can you do that?” He put his hand on the Fire Nation boy’s arm, feeling the heat rise and fall.

Zuko brushed Sokka’s hand off, “Fire bending thing."

They sat there for another moment, breaths finally catching up to them.

"Come on, it’s getting late.” Zuko stood up, offered the younger boy a hand, and pulled him up. His hand was as warm as Sokka expected it to be, but it was dry and calloused, not sweaty.

_Maybe the fire burned off his ability to have clammy palms._

“Would you like to come in for some tea?” Zuko fumbled around with his keys.

“We work in a tea shop. And I thought you hated tea?” Sokka crossed his arms

The Fire Nation boy finally found the right key and unlocked the door, holding it open for Sokka.

“I do. I only drink it because my uncle makes it all the time.” The door clicked behind the boys as they stepped into the living room.

“Uncle! We’re home!” Zuko called out.

The old man stood up from his cushion at the table, “Ah, welcome! Come, sit down. I just finished drinking my tea. It should still be warm.”

Sokka looked to Zuko with a raised eyebrow.

The older teen shrugged, “I told you, he always has tea.”

The two boys sat down opposite to each other at the table as Iroh poured two cups of tea and gave one to them each. The tea wasn’t steaming, but still warm enough to heat the cup

“Did you get new clothes, my nephew? They look quite nice.” Iroh said.

Zuko looked down at his robes, “Oh no, these belong to Sokka. I’m just borrowing them.”

The younger boy shrugged, “Yeah, he looked too stuffy in the work clothes...” his voice trailed off.

A sudden realization hit Sokka. He locked eyes with Zuko. 

_Oh, he just realized it too._

“I forgot my uniform at your house.” The older teen said frustratedly.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll just,” Sokka groaned, “I’ll just wake up _even earlier_ and bring them to you tomorrow,” he whined

Zuko made a small “thank you” smile and nodded his head. He picked up his tea and took a small sip

Sokka took a sip of his own. It was sweet, sort of like honey, and it was damn good. He let all of it run down his throat and warm up his body. A comfortable heat sat with him for a few moments.

Iroh let out a laugh, “I suppose you liked it.” He had that comforting smile on his face, “So, how was your night?”

“It was fine.” Zuko took a small drink of his tea.

“Yeah," Sokka said "except for when he talked about theater for like a half an hour,” he smirked, looking at Zuko’s face turning a slight shade of pink. The older teen shook his head, a bit panicked.

Sokka had the feeling that Zuko might have done more stupid things than he wanted him to know.

“Ah, yes. My nephew has always taken a liking to the theatrical arts,” the old man sat at the head of the table, “You know,”

Zuko’s face completely blushed, “Uncle, no.”

Iroh continued, “My son used to help Zuko put on small plays in the gardens of the palace.”

“Stop, you’re going to embarrass me,” Zuko protested. He covered up his head in his arms folded on the table

“Aww, you didn’t tell me that. Did wittle Zuko dress up in costumes?” Sokka cooed.

“Damn it, Sokka-“

The old man let out a chuckle, “He did! He made them all by himself as well! He even made props from things in his room. His father never approved of doing any of this, so I helped my nephew hide all of his things. He was so happy when he would perform for us.”

Sokka giggled at the image of a baby Zuko dressing up in silly costumes and dancing around.

Zuko raised his tomato red face from his arms, “Are you done now?”

Iroh laughed and patted his nephew on the back, “Alright, I will stop for now,” he looked at Sokka, “But I ought to tell you about how he played as the samurai in one play he made-“

Zuko sat up straight and stood up, “Uncle, it’s getting late and Sokka looks very tired,”

“What? No, I’m-“ Sokka squeaked as he felt Zuko wrap his hands around his arms and pull him up to his feet.

“We have a long day at work tomorrow, right?” The older boy’s face was still red as he slightly squeezed at Sokka’s arm. He was warmer than before, especially his hands.

“Uh, yeah?” Sokka meant for it to come out more as a statement. Now he was really curious about the whole samurai thing.

“So, it’s probably best if you get home now.” Zuko slightly nudged Sokka toward the door.

Sokka frowned. He knew he had to wake up even earlier than he usually does but damn he wanted to know why the Fire Nation boy was so embarrassed about this story specifically.

“Alright, alright, I’m going.” Sokka raised his arms and pulled away from Zuko’s grip. “Thanks for the tea and the embarrassing story.”

Sokka opened the door and stepped out, “Oh and one more thing,” he turned to face Zuko, “Keep the outfit. It looks better on you.”

Before the older boy could say anything back, Sokka closed the apartment door and started making his way home.

  
  
  
  
  


“How was your date with Mr. Sparky?” Toph laid down on Aang’s bed, playing with some rocks using bending.

“It was not a date!” Sokka tossed his robes onto his dirty clothes pile and slipped on his sleepwear, “I’m just keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t try to do anything to us. Besides, I have a thing going on with Suki,” he paused, “I think.” He mumbled.

The blind girl snickered, “Then why don’t you just let me talk to him to see if he’s lying? That way you can stop complaining about waking up so early.”

Sokka sighed. He considered having her come into the shop on one of the first days she came back. But if she did, Sokka wouldn’t have anything to do after that, he wouldn’t have a reason to stay to work at the shop and make some extra money and most importantly, he wouldn’t have anyone to easily tease as Zuko. Having Toph just say that he’s not lying would be the easy way out.

“I just want him to prove himself, I guess. I don’t know.” Sokka flopped down on his bed, “Even if you tell me he’s telling the truth, I’m not going to trust him that easily. For all we know, he might plan on doing something later on.”

"Whatever you say, Snoozels." Toph shrugged.

There was a brief silence between the two of them.

Sokka looked over at Toph, "Zuko is a huge theater nerd."

Toph briefly stopped her rocks, "No fucking way."

"Seriously! He wouldn't stop complaining about how bad this one theater group was! His uncle told me that he even used to put on plays in the gardens. Apparently, he'd make costumes and props and shit." 

The blind girl cackled, "Oh man! Yeah, you have to keep hanging around him to get that juicy stuff. Maybe I should swing by just to hear the stories."

Sokka laughed, "Yeah, I wish you could have seen his face, he was so embarrassed."

The two giggled to themselves for a moment.

A yawn fell from Sokka, "Alright, enough gossip for now. I have to wake up early tomorrow."

Toph stood up, rocks in hand, "Tell me where this tea shop is tomorrow and I'll stop by. I'd love to hear all these stories for myself."

"Gladly," Sokka turned on his side, "Night, Toph."

"Night." The girl walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Sokka stared at the wall. A part of him wanted to believe Zuko was being honest and didn’t want to capture Aang anymore. Seeing him just be a normal person, helping in his uncle’s shop, complaining about customers after hours, having his uncle embarrass him. Something was satisfying about all of it.

_But what if he is? What if he’s tricking you?_

He knew that was probably what was happening, he was Fire Nation after all. There was no way that Zuko wasn’t planning something, right? So why did Sokka want him to change? What good would it be to him aside from one less threat from the Fire Nation? 

To be fair, it had been a while since Zuko even attempted to capture Aang. He had the chance to get him in that abandoned city but he fought on their side instead of with that fire nation girl (didn’t Aang say that was his sister?). And he didn’t bring him up in any conversations.

_Was there a chance he wasn’t lying?_

No, he was probably just going to take Aang for himself. That’s why he fought her.

Sokka buried his face into his pillow. Why did he care so much about what side Zuko was on?

_Why did he want to trust Zuko?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy hey! Thank you so much for the support on the first chapter! It honestly means the world to me that people could find enjoyment in my work.
> 
> Again, no beta for this chapter. It ended up being a lot longer than I had anticipated but I hope it turned out good!
> 
> I tried not to get into too much detail in the story itself, but the outfits that Sokka and Zuko wore for their night out are their outfits that they wore in the final scene in the series finally.
> 
> I also just want to quickly shout out my art blog on Tumblr, Doodles-From-DJ. I have a lot of Zukka art on there and more to come so maybe check it out if you want!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry I've been gone for so long but I'm not dead, don't worry!
> 
> BIG TRIGGER WARNING FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS CHAPTER  
> Specifically s*icid*l implementations. It's not necessarily to the story and is completely skippable. I marked where it ends so if you don't want to read it, skip to that point

_"Father, please! I- I meant you no disrespect!" Hot tears rolled down Zuko's face._

_He can't hurt his father. He won't._

_He looked up, a hand touched his eye._

_Then pain. So so much pain. Skin and blood bubbles on his face._

_Zuko was screaming. He knew he was, but his body was fading from him. Just pain._

  
  


"AH-" He jolted upwards, sweat racing down his body.

_Where was he?_

Zuko looked around, seeing the tan walls of his and Uncle's apartment.

_He was safe. He was home_

_Home._

Tears were still running down Zuko's face. He hadn't even realized he was crying.

They didn't stop. They kept coming and coming and coming. His chest ached as he tried to take in breaths to cool his inner flame. He couldn't calm it.

Tiny, salty tears pitter pattered on the blanket in his lap. He pulled his knees up to his chest, pulling the blanket over his head from behind.

And he kept crying, and crying, and crying. How Zuko wished he could just fade away. How he wished he was never born so that he didn't have to be a disappointment. Maybe mother would still be okay. Uncle would have still lived in the palace. He wouldn't have to worry about being a fugitive or living in fear of the Fire Nation. He could be home, he could be happy.

If he was never born, there would be no one to fear him. He wouldn't have hurt all those innocent people. He wouldn't have hurt the Avatar or his friends. He wouldn't have hurt Sokka.

But here Zuko was. Crying like a little bitch because he wouldn't challenge his father in an honorable duel. No wonder he'd get hit all the time. He deserved it. He never did anything right. He couldn't even capture the Avatar when he had him in his hands. He couldn't face off against Azula because he was a weak coward. He could barely survive out in the desert on his own.

_You are weak and you are pathetic._ _You were lucky to be born._

Father was right. He didn't deserve life. 

The blanket started clinging to him as he started to sweat but Zuko stayed huddled under it, letting the tears stream down his face, letting his breath heat him up even more. His fire hurt so many people, it'd only be fair if he felt their pain.

  
  
**[End of TW]**  
  


“Ah, good morning,” Iroh greeted Sokka at the door, “Come in, my nephew is still asleep.”

Sokka raised a tired eyebrow and yawned. He stepped inside the home and shut the door behind him.

_Didn’t the Tea boy say he wakes up with the sun or something? Why was he still asleep?_

“Is he alright?” Sokka asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eye.

The old man sighed, “He will be. He sometimes has nightmares that keep him from getting a full night's rest. I try to let him sleep as long as possible on days like this,” he shook his head and smiled, “But I digress, would you like some jook and tea?”

“Uh, sure, I guess,” Sokka said, “I’ll just put these in his room first.” He motioned to the set of clothes in his hand.

He walked into the hall and slid the door to Zuko’s room open.

The thing Sokka noticed was that the Tea boy was in fact _not_ asleep, but very much awake and huddled with his knees to his chest on his bed. He was cocooned in his blanket, leaving a space for his face to poke out. His back rested against the wall.

He looked like a child. It reminded Sokka of the nights he spent wrapped in blankets back home, trying to hide and stay as warm and small as possible.

Zuko looked up from his huddle. A quick panic shot through his eyes before he made his legs fall to his mattress. He pulled the blanket off of his head, his hair scruffed up with the static of the sheet.

“Sokka,” He sounded surprised. His voice was hoarse and raspy, something the Water Tribe boy was taken aback by. 

He quickly cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes, “ _Fuck, shit,_ I forgot you were coming early today.” The Fire Nation boy sniffled and rubbed his face, avoiding looking at Sokka.

_He was crying. Why was he crying? What happened? Wait…_ why should Sokka care? This is his enemy. Why is he caring? He shouldn’t care. He _doesn’t_ care. He doesn’t...

Sokka felt his hand move and close the door behind him and go to sit down next to Zuko, placing the clothes on the edge of the mattress.

_This… this is a trick so Sokka would let his guard down. He was faking this. He had to be faking this. He couldn’t trust Zuko. Why the fuck does he want to help the Fire Nation’s prince?_

Zuko pulled the sheets tighter around his shoulders and mumbled something in such a hush tone, Sokka could barely make it out, “ _-Agni, why today?”_

Sokka just sat there, looking at Zuko taking shaky breaths. He felt his eyebrows droop. The older teen’s nose was a light shade of pink. His hair was a mess like he’d never seen before (though still not as bad as the ponytail). He was hunched over, his chest rising and falling under the blanket. The temperature of the space near Zuko mimicked his breath.

_He’s not faking it._

” _Stop staring,”_ the Fire Nation muttered out.

Sokka blinked, “Sorry, sorry,” he looked down at the floor, “I’ve just never seen you like this.”

_He needed help. He needed comfort. Help him. Comfort him._ Those thoughts screamed through Sokka’s head. But why? Why should he help him? This was his enemy, right? Sure, they had bonded a little but that didn’t change the fact that Zuko was the bad guy. Besides, Sokka wasn’t exactly good at comforting people. That was always more of a Katara thing.

“I never wanted anyone to see me like this,” Zuko pulled his legs back up to his chest, “Can- can you just leave?” His voice cracked. He sounded so young for once. So vulnerable.

_Help him._

_He can’t._

Sokka patted the older boy’s shoulder, “Take your time,” he smiled weakly at him, then stood up to leave.

The water tribe boy stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, going out into the living area to see Iroh mixing the jook in his large pot. Sokka quietly sat down on the spot he had the night before. His eyes shifted to the window outside that overlooked the upper ring streets, but he wasn't really looking at anything.

_Why was he caring so much about that bastard? Was it pitty? Did he just feel sorry for him? Why would he feel sorry? He should feel sad after everything he put Sokka and his friends- no- his family through._

_Then why did he want to comfort him? Why did he want to help him? He’s only ever caused trouble. He threatened his home, he burnt down Kyoshi, he kidnapped Aang. The fact that he was prince of the fucking Fire Nation itself should be enough reason not to give him any sympathy._

“Is something on your mind, son?” Iroh placed a bowl of jook in front of Sokka.

“Hm? Oh,” The water tribe boy looked over to the man who was now sitting in front of him, “It’s nothing. I’m just… conflicted I guess.”

Iroh looked back at Sokka, that fatherly smile on his face inviting him to talk about what he was thinking about.

“It’s just, all of this, this whole situation, isn’t something I ever expected to happen. I’ve always thought of Zuko as a heartless evil monster who wanted to kill us,” The water tribe boy clawed at the air like a platypus bear for emphasis,

“But seeing how he acts now, it’s like I don’t even know him. He’s acting like a completely normal human being. It’s just so weird. I know he’s done terrible things so that should make him a terrible person. But then he’s also just a regular kid,”

Sokka sighed, tapping the side of his bowl, “I don’t know what to think of him anymore. Is he a bad guy or just a person?”

The old man took a sip of his jook then put the bowl down, “Many see other people as one thing: good or bad. They think that they can only ever be one or the other, but this is not the case. Where there is negativity, joy can spark. Where there is happiness, sadness can grow,”

“Life is not just good or bad. It is more than just that. It is both. It is more like Yin and Yang. And those who live through life must also have both inside of them,”

“My nephew, like everyone, has both good and bad in him. You may not see one right away, but they are both there. Life has put him through much, but he sees the good and knows that he must try to get rid of his negativity. He may not be able to take back his actions in the past but I see him trying to correct his current actions. If you give him a chance, you will see that he is capable of doing good.” The smile never faded from Iroh’s face. 

The bowl of jook warmed Sokka’s hands as he cupped it.

_Giving the Fire Nation a chance? What good would happen from doing that?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been gone for a little bit, sorry about that lol. I took a bit of an unexpected break for mental health reasons but I'm back now!
> 
> I can't promise weekly updates but I will try to write more often, just need to sort out my personal life first.
> 
> I'm far more active on my Tumblr Doodles-from-DJ and Just-call-me-dj, so if you want to see more from me then you can follow me there.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your patience and your support. It means so much to me that you all enjoy my story.


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